Kauthar Bouchallikt, a Dutch MP of Moroccan descent and the first MP to wear a headscarf in the Dutch parliament, called for the Netherlands to apologise for its participation in slavery. She also alluded to wanting the Dutch government to offer reparations to go along with a potential apology.
The Netherlands abolished slavery in 1914, but its government has never formally apologised for its participation in it and has not compensated its victims.
Bouchallikt’s call was backed by her party and various other MPs from opposition and coalition parties. The call followed a visit by the MPs in August to former Dutch colony Suriname, in South America, where they spoke to locals who explained that they don’t expect apologies from Dutch individuals but do expect it from the government.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has said that 2023, which will mark 150 years since slavery was abolished in its colonies in the Carribean, will be dedicated to acknowledging the Netherlands’ history of slavery, but the government has not yet confirmed whether it will be formally apologising or offering reparations.
Some attacked Bouchallikt on Twitter for her statement with Islamophobic remarks and pointing at Morocco’s involvement in slavery.
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